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State capture whistle-blowers hailed on 23 June

Every year on 23 June we remember whistle-blowers around the world who have braved threats to their lives and livelihoods to expose corruption on both small and large scales. We also reflect on what we, as a society and as individuals, are doing to make the environment for blowing the whistle more enabling and encouraging. Read more >

More protections for SA whistle-blowers on the way, but will they work?

By Neil Coetzer, Maricia Smith, Bavukile Magagula, and Anthony AndrewsFirst published on Business Day During June 2023 the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development published a discussion document on proposed reforms for the whistle-blower protection regime in South Africa. Taking its cue from the criticism of the Protected Disclosures Act of 2000 by the Zondo Read more >

SA-France partnership will enhance local and regional anti-cyber-crime skills

By Kwazi Dlamini The South African government recently entered a partnership with the government of France to combat corruption, cyber-crime and to improve the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) cyber forensic division. South Africa justice and correctional services minster Ronald Lamola put pen to paper along with Catherine Colonna, the French foreign affairs minister signed a Read more >

Using the law to frustrate, rather than support, whistle-blowers

Whistle-blowers and their challenges and potential hardships have been in the news lately. Plans to amend the legislation governing their protection are in motion – though not at the urgent speed we would like to see. Civil society organisations, including Corruption Watch, have been asking for meaningful changes for years, and it is only with Read more >

Lamola: Public must invoke Mandela spirit in guiding whistle-blower law changes

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Ronald Lamola urged members of the public to make meaningful contributions to the discussion document released by his department in June on amendments to whistle-blower protection legislation. Lamola delivered the keynote address at a symposium on the topic, hosted by the Public Service Commission (PSC) on Friday. In contributing, Read more >

SA public has say in how whistle-blowers should be protected

It may have taken the state capture commission and its recommendations for us to get here, but government is finally taking stock of the many public submissions from whistle-blowers, whistle-blower advocacy organisations, and civil society organisations in amending our whistle-blower protection regime. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has released a discussion paper for Read more >

Comment on proposed reforms to SA’s whistle-blower protection regime

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJCD) has issued a call for written public comments on proposed reforms to South Africa’s legislative whistle-blower protection regime. Proposals are contained in a discussion document which may be downloaded for perusal. The 162-page document’s release follows recommendations made in the report of the Zondo commission, and President Read more >

Reflecting on the bravery of whistle-blowers

By Thato Mahlangu Justice for some whistle-blowers seems like an unlikely dream. As we marked World Whistle-blower Day on 23 June 2020, one of our own is in pain in a hospital, in the Eastern Cape, after suffering years of abuse at the hands of police while fighting for genuine concerns which have been raised Read more >